


Man out of Time

by subject_topside



Series: Fallout Drabbles [2]
Category: Fallout 4
Genre: Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fallout 4 - Freeform, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-21
Updated: 2019-03-31
Packaged: 2019-10-13 23:11:13
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,793
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17497142
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/subject_topside/pseuds/subject_topside
Summary: Delta Topside was a soldier who served in the war. When he settles down with his wife, Jeanne, he thought the world was okay for once in his life. He was proved wrong. When the bombs dropped, he and his family fled into the depths of Vault 111, only to meet fate worse than radiation.





	1. Chapter 1

Bittersweet moments. They come and they go. Everyone has them. Even Topside, a retired war vet, who currently stood in front of the mirror he shared with his loving and caring wife. He met her through the war, having he been a fairly clumsy man; he first met her when he landed in the medical tent after tripping a landmine and just narrowly avoiding being blown to bits. His entire left side of his body was broken and his back was tossed out. He was dragged into the tent, passed out from how much pain he was in. Jeanne, the patient woman she was, took care of him despite his grumpy mood and his constant need to be somewhere other than restricted to a bed.  
Bittersweet moments. They come and they go. Everyone has them. Especially during the first few weeks after over two months of being crippled. Topside was very shaky, he lost a lot of strength being confined to a bed. He clung to Jeanne like a lifeline the whole time, getting out of breath and needing to take a lot of breaks. After a while he got better and better and could walk to the bathroom without needing her at his side. Eventually, he was back out on the field, at least up until he got shot in the shoulder. He was sent right back to the med tent and was miserable the whole time. After a while of being in and out of the tent, he grew a tad attached to Jeanne - and it was clear to see that she felt the same.

  
Bittersweet moments. It hurt to remember, but damn, was it worth it. After the war was over, and everyone was safe and sound, Topside proposed to Jeanne. After marriage, they found a nice little home in Sanctuary and settled down for a family. They tried, and they tried, until finally they received news that they were going to have a baby. Topside was beyond happy then, holding his wife's hands as they danced in their living room, then sitting down on the couch, both crying tears of joy until there was nothing left to cry. After that, during those painfully long nine months, Topside worked night and day to make sure he and his wife and his future child could have the life they needed getting older. He spent his hours off making their baby's crib, working hard until he had to pack up for work. He returned days after and resumed where he left off, until that day came.

  
Bittersweet moments. Topside remembered sitting beside his wife's hospital bed, holding her hand, while she screamed and clutched his hand tight. He gently kissed her knuckles and gave her praise, up until he heard a different scream, head raising to find a doctor had successfully delivered their baby boy. Jeanne had smiled, letting go of Topside's aching hand, and cried as she was given her baby. Shaun. They named him Shaun. It was a beautiful name, Jeanne insisted, and Topside wouldn't argue against her word. Later that night, Topside had fallen asleep, his head on her leg, her fingers gently running through his hair, while Shaun slept on her chest. Jeanne couldn't be happier. Not even when they came home the next day, after Topside had come to pick her and Shaun up after his last hours of work, brought them inside, and showed Jeanne Shaun's new room, with the blue crib, the spinning mobile with rockets and stars, the rocket patterned rug. It was perfect.

  
When Topside brought home Codsworth, a Mister Handy, Jeanne had been hesitant. She had spoken to Topside briefly about the things she had read about them, and Topside only dismissed them. She let out a low sigh as he insisted, and slowly she warmed up to the robot. Even as they stood in front of the mirror, Topside looking over his face and checking over anything he needed to shave or to pluck. Jeanne lightly tapped his shoulder, smiling at him as he looked away from the mirror. The man spent a few good minutes every day looking at himself- he wasn't vain, he just couldn't fight those sorrowful, bittersweet moments that kept his thoughts tight in a heartless grip, ready to tear his being apart if Jeanne wasn't there and gently rubbing at his shoulders, as she was currently doing.  
"You're going to knock them out at the veterans hall tonight, honey." Jeanne hummed.

  
Topside glanced at her, as if he was thinking of something to say, but every word that came to mind was washed away the longer he studied her face. "You think so?" He asked, after a while, chewing at his lip.

  
Jeanne saw this, and her face twisted a little, moving in to give him a light peck so he'd stop ruining those soft lips she adored, "of course you will. Now quit hogging the mirror, you big lug." She smiled a little slyly as she moved away from his face.

  
It was cute, Jeanne thought, watching Topside stumble over his words, before he just nodded and stepped away from the sink, letting her do her thing. He left the room shortly after watching her wink at him, then turn to the mirror. He stood just outside the bathroom, looking into it, watching her put her makeup on and cover up her naturally beautiful face. He thought she was just outstanding without the makeup, but he knew he couldn't change her mind, so he just stood there, as love struck as the day they met, watching. He was sure she could see him through the mirror, because she turned around and glanced back at him, a brow raised. He straightened up, his face getting hotter as he grinned lopsidedly and waddled off. He could hear Jeanne giggle as he left.

  
In the kitchen, Codsworth was fixing up a bottle for Shaun, his three eyes trained on the counter until he heard his owner lightly bump into the wall beside the laundry room - he still wasn't used to it being there the whole three years they've lived there - turning an eye towards the flustered man. Codsworth lightly chuckled as the rest of his body turned to face the war vet. Topside looked up, seeing the Mister Handy and he offered a small smile, lightly waving as he headed over to the counter, where a fresh cup of coffee had just been placed down.

  
"Good morning, sir! Your fresh coffee is on the table, just as you like it. The paper came in today, thought you would like to have a read." Codsworth hummed as he went back to filling up Shaun's bottle.

  
"Thank you, Codsworth." Topside slid onto one of the stools, pulling the cup towards him, his hands wrapping around the cup and nursing it as he grabbed the magazine he saw on the table. "Gragnorok and the Jungle of Bat Babies... My favourite." He muttered sarcastically, pushing it away as he sipped at his coffee.

  
A gentle hand ran across his shoulders as Jeanne passed by, gathering up the news paper and reading the front page. Topside offered a quick smile to her before he went back to drinking his coffee. He heard a voice, and turned around to see that the television was on -- Jeanne must have turned it on before coming in and waking him. He watched the news, barely really listening as the man blabbered on about a vault, the sports, and the weather. Topside really didn't care too much about the news, so he just watched the way the man moved from report to report, nimble hands moving papers. He was too caught up in watching this man that he didn't hear Shaun crying, at least until Codsworth's engine let out a little putt and he was drifting down the hall in no time, fretting over the crying baby.

  
"You know," Jeanne started, putting the paper down on the table and lightly smoothing it over without really thinking about it, "Codsworth is proving to be a big help... And here I was, worried about him being around Shaun."

  
Topside went to reply, opening his mouth and setting the cup down, as the doorbell rang.

  
"Oh, honey, would you get that? It's probably that salesman that's been trying to talk to you. Just see what he wants and maybe he'll go away." Jeanne gestured to the door, and she was right, seeing that tan hat tip up as eyes peeked into the little windows on their door.

  
Topside let go of his cup, grinding his teeth as he marched over to the door, watching said salesman flee back upon seeing the agitated man. It was less of a salesman and more of Vault-Tec that kept trying to talk to him to get him to join their...something. Topside really couldn't be bothered to hear about whatever bullshit excuse they pulled from their asses every time that damn man came knocking at their door begging for him to listen. He wanted to settle down away from joining things that could potentially kill him in the future, not sit down in a pile of constant signing up for things he didn't need nor want.

  
"G-good morning!" The Vault-Tec rep scrambled over his words the moment the door forcefully swung open, "Vault-Tec calling!"

  
"Go away," Topside growled, getting ready to close the door when the Rep grabbed it and forced it open.

  
It seemed upon seeing what he had done, he flung his hand back and quickly apologized, "n-now! I know you're a busy man, but I won't take but a few seconds!" He smiled a little, offering a tip of the clipboard he held tight in his paling hands.

  
"You've already wasted them. Go bug someone else, I told you, I'm n-"

  
"Aha...you've been, uh, chosen! For Vault-Tec's most advanced and comfortable _Vault 111_! When the bombs drop, Vault 111 will be your new, and approved, home!" The Rep quickly glanced around what he could see of the living room and the kitchen, and Top, seeing this, quickly moved in his view, forcing the shorter man to look up at him with swollen, round eyes.

  
"That's...great. Yeah. I totally can't wait for the world to end," Topside growled as he rolled his eyes, preparing to shut the door again, only to get the same reaction as before.

  
"Haha, that's the spirit.. uh, I just need you to fill this sheet, and you're g-"

  
Topside ripped the clipboard from the Rep's hand, taking his pen too, and quickly filled out the sheet. Once everything was all jotted out, he handed it back and gave the Rep a harsh glare as he shoved the pen into the man's breast pocket, and grabbed the door again. Before the Rep could even say a word, the door was slammed in his face. Topside stood there, tense, before he let out a little breath and locked the door, turning to see that Jeanne had moved to the couch, and was leaning on the back of it, head on her arms as she watched her husband. Topside relexed even more and reached a hand down, lightly rubbing it against her arm as he walked past her.

  
As he went to go back to his coffee, Codsworth came tearing down the hall, a loud cry echoing through the house. "Oh, sir! I can't seem to get poor Shaun to calm down. Perhaps he needs some of that _parental love_ you seem to be so good at." He fretted as he waved his arms around frantically.

  
"Thanks, Codsworth." Topside offered the bot a reassuring smile as he headed down the hall he's been down so many times before.  
Once he turned to glance into the room, Shaun stopped crying as much, but he was still fussy. Topside wandered in, heading over to the crib and leaning down, gently rubbing his fingers over the baby's chest, hearing the crying turn to light giggles as Shaun wiggled against his hand. Topside lightly chuckled as well, popping a hip out as he leaned on the side of the crib, humming a bit while Shaun relaxed, staring up at his dad. Their little bonding moment was broken as the door slid closed, Jeanne walking over to the end of the crib.

  
"How are the most important men in my life doing?" She purred, winking at Topside, and smiling warmly down at Shaun. "Give the mobile a spin, he loves that."

  
Topside did just as that, lightly batting one of the rockets to make the whole thing spin. Shaun's wiggling subsided as he watched the rockets and stars slowly move. Shaun lightly gurgled, waving his arms towards it, then dropping them as he just stared. Topside leaned on a hand, watching his son, barely listening to Jeanne talk to Shaun, just hearing her voice, being at utmost comfort.

  
"Listen..." Jeanne mumbled, looking up from Shaun, snagging Topside's attention. "I was thinking...after lunch, maybe we could head over to the park?" She smiled a little, seeing her husband relax.

  
"Of course! Sounds like a great idea."

  
"Perfect..." Jeanne sighed softly, just studying her husband, reaching a hand out to grab his, when Codsworth's cry came from the living room.

  
"Sir... Mum!? You might want to come see this..."

  
"Codsworth? What's wrong?" Jeanne asked, while Topside hesitated on his feet for a moment.

  
He then moved to the door, hearing Jeanne mumble something about her grabbing Shaun, and he pulled it open. He heard it slam, but he didn't care - he was more worried about why Codsworth needed their attention. He sprinted to the living room, skidding to a halt as his eyes landed on the television, the same man as before seemed distraught, one hand holding up his head, rubbing at his forehead while he read the papers he held so tightly in his hands. Those same hands he watched carefully deal with those pages, barely a crease in any of them, but now it was easy to see he was sweating, the papers wrinkled under how hard he held them.

"Yes...followed by...a flash. Unbearable heat..." He even sounded ruined. Scared. Petrified.

And Topside felt that same fear the moment that all-too familiar cry bellowed across the sky, drowning out the man on the screen. "We...we need to get out of here! We- _we need to get to that Vault_!" He hollered over the siren.

Jeanne looked up at him, her eyes wide, fear evident, and damn, did Topside want to will those sirens away, to pull back everything he had planned, and he ached for wanting this to be a bad dream. Even as he turned on his feet without wanting to, even as he flung their front door open, even as he started bolting down the street. His mouth had turned dry, his tongue felt like a boulder in his mouth. He looked back at Jeanne, making sure she stayed with him, unable to reply to her begging pleas for safety. He couldn't say anything, couldn't do anything to comfort her, he could only flee down the path over the creek behind their home and head for the Vault.  
Neighbours struggled to pack around them, while others were also running with them to get to the Vault. Once they reached the gate, Topside heard that grating voice from the Vault-Tec Rep begging for the security at the gate to let him in. They dismissed him, even as he told them that he was Vault-Tec. Topside shouldered past him, watching him as he turned and bolted away, hopefully to get somewhere else safe. For once, Topside felt pity for the annoying Rep, and scowled when he turned back to the security guard yelling at him.

"Uh- yeah! We- we're in the Vault! We're on the list! Please, you have to let us in..." He begged.

"Adult male, adult female, infant child. Yep, head on in."

With that, Topside didn't even stumble over his feet as he grabbed Jeanne's hand and dragged her through the crowd to follow the scientist that flagged them down and brought them over to the Vault elevator. The air was so thin, panic and tension so thick someone would have to cut it with a butcher knife. Jeanne curled up against Topside's chest, her head against his heart, listening to it beat rapidly. She could hear him speak, could hear that rumble that shook his chest, but she couldn't hear a word he said, not even as she pulled Shaun closer to her own chest, the three of them huddling from the other neighbours.

_What's going to happen to the ones who aren't on the list...?_

Topside looked over at the horizon as he heard gasps and yells, as the sky grew so bright that it'd put the sun to shame. A big gust of wind started to form over the city, rapidly climbing towards the group being sent down, just barely avoiding the blast as Topside's head disappeared over the lip of the Vault elevator, and the world above went red. The screams still echoed in the elevator, or was it the ringing from the blast that made Topside's head ache as they were sent in complete black for minutes on end. The air felt stale and cold, to Topside wrapped tighter around Jeanne, making sure both she and Shaun stayed warm until the elevator landed with a soft thump on the floor of the Vault.

"Welcome home," a soft, monotone woman's voice echoed over the speakers as the gate lifted and everyone slowly and shakily stepped off without a second thought, as if afraid that if they stayed on that pad, they'd be sent back to the surface.

"Where are we...?" Jeanne asked softly, looking up at Topside while he looked down, trying his best not to shake.

"I don't know..."

"Just up these steps, come on. Don't be afraid, this is your new home. Vault 111." A man greeted them, a cheery tone to his words, arms wide open.

No one in the group went anywhere near him, and, comically, Topside found some amusement in that. This man was acting happy when an entire group of mismatched people, petrified, entered a strange new environment. It was kind of like how humans reacted to getting pets. Topside felt bad for the dog he and Jeanne got, who ran away within the first few days of having it because it was so scared. He rubbed the back of his neck, feeling an emotional punch to his gut- he could have done better to make sure that dog felt at home.  
Topside climbed the steps, making sure Jeanne stayed close behind him as he turned to see all these mechanical devices up and whirring and all these people in lab coats. Already it felt like a danger zone than it did a new home. He rubbed his hands together and walked through the long slabs of metal that whirred as he stepped through them, while a scientist called out his condition and who he was. His ears felt like they were full of cotton - he couldn't hear anyone or anything properly, stumbling over his feet as he tried to make a lick of sense to what was going on. He was pointed out to a woman who was handing out bags, with a blue suit inside, 111 boldly printed in yellow on the blue. He grabbed the bag when it came to his turn, lightly mumbling a confused "what?" as he held the bag to his chest.

"Just follow me, sir," the scientist beside the woman tipped his head, waving both he and Jeanne to follow him as he walked down the hall.

"What's going to happen?" Jeanne asked, and Topside didn't hear a reply.

"All our things...our home..." Some other people in suits - what he assumed was in the bag he held tight - were talking among themselves, fretting over the things they've lost. Topside felt a pang of pity for them.

He turned his attention back to the scientist as they entered a different room - it was a lot different than he thought it'd be, with what looked like pods littering the room in a neat order. He didn't bother to really listen to the scientist as he blabbered on about the vault, turning instead to Jeanne and Shaun, the baby was wailing. Topside's face scrunched as he reached a hand up, lightly rubbing his fingers against the boy's chest, as he had done earlier, not but a mere hour ago.

"Hey, big guy, it's me. You're alright, okay?" Topside hummed to Shaun, listening as the boy stopped crying, turning to look up at him with those big, blue eyes. "Hi baby, it's me. You're gonna be okay. Everything is alright, don't worry." He smiled reassuringly, only to get that big smile back. "That's it, such a brave boy. You're so much braver than I am." He looked up at Jeanne, and his eyes grew sad. They didn't know what was to come.

"He's all settled down, I've got him now." She reassured, gently pecking as his soft lips, feeling the light scars just barely touching the left corner of his mouth.

Topside placed another kiss on hers, his hands lightly bracing her arms, afraid to let her go. "I know... I just..."  
"Hey, big guy, it's alright. We're okay. I love you."

"...I love you too, doll."

With that, Topside slid into his vault suit, as did Jeanne, and they both stepped into the chambers without another word. As the door shut, he waved at her, smiling big so she could see. She returned he wave and the smile, and leaned back in her seat as the cold wrapped around her and Shaun. Topside did the same, his head hitting the back of the pod lightly, hearing the same, soft voice that greeted them when they first entered, counting down until the cold completely gripped hold and froze the family in time.


	2. Chapter two

It felt so cold, colder than the nights during the war, where it was only him, his cot, and countless other bodies in one tent. Perhaps that's why it wasn't as cold- there were still other people with him, not frozen as he was, alone, in a confined space with nothing but his thoughts and his so, so cold hands. He heard that voice, that soft voice, but he couldn't hear what it was saying, sputtering awake as coughs racked his lungs of the air he clung so desperately to. As he was able to pull his head back from the soft cushion of the headrest, he cracked open his eyes, cringing as he felt the cold air assault his eyes, forcing him to blink while they watered. He reached a hand up and rubbed, feeling that they were caked with ice. He let his hand fall as he leaned forward, coughing, instead banging on the glass. He could hear voices, different ones, and the one that stuck out the most was his wife's, along with Shaun's wailing. His eyes were forced open again, watching two people in white outfits and a man open the pod Jeanne was in, Shaun crying as Jeanne coughed.

"Is...is it over? Are we safe?" She asked, holding Shaun tight as one of the people in white reached for him.

"Yes, just give us the child."

"What? No! No! You're not taking Shaun! _You're not taking my son_!"

The wailing got louder. Jeanne was screaming. Topside was slamming his fists into the window of his pod.

"I said... _let the boy go_."

The man had pulled his pistol out, spinning the barrel and aiming. **Boom**. Topside's breath caught in his throat as he watched Jeanne's body jerk back violently, slumping against the seat as the pod closed again, Shaun still wailing while one of the people in white clung to the writhing baby. Topside resumed slamming against the glass, fueled by anger more than fear, his heart slamming so hard he could hear it in his ears. His eyes met the man when he turned around after holstering the pistol, looking at the vault dweller with a different kind of hatred that Topside felt, almost disgust at the frozen man. The man rapped his knuckles against the pod's glass, making Topside's flailing fists stop in their tracks, heaving as he stared down his new enemy.

Topside never hated anyone, it was rare or him to hold grudges, for him to be so fueled by anger that he wanted to tear the pod's door off by its hinges, grab that stupid pistol, and blow all their heads out and save Shaun, but when he heard that mysterious man speak, that whole thing went right out the window so fast that Topside threw his fist as hard as he could against the glass and screamed, he'd have kicked and slammed into the door full force had he been immobilized from the waist down.

_I'll get you, you son of a bitch. I'll get you and I'll tear your fucking heart out._

-

The next time Topside woke, there were no people to shoot him. Just silence. Just him and that damn voice talking about the fucking pods. Topside couldn't care less. He just wanted out. He pushed on the pod door as it slowly opened, finally being freed. He stepped out, but it seems being frozen brought him right back to that near vegetable state from the war, collapsing almost instantly onto the floor. He shook, feeling the wet puddle under his shaking body, looking down to see his reflection. He looked drained, like he hadn't slept an eternity. He even wondered what year it was. He got to his feet, thankfully he wasn't completely immobile, not like he thought. He breathed a sigh of relief, until he looked up and that moment of calm was instantly tossed aside. He scrambled across to Jeanne's pod, yelling and banging against it until he saw the switch. He threw it and when the door sizzled and opened with a gust of steam, Top was prying at it with his hands, trying to open it faster than it was going.

The moment the door opened fully, Topside threw himself onto Jeanne, grabbing her hands and her shoulders, shaking her iced body, before his forehead landed against her chest and he let out a loud sob, his own shoulders shaking violently as he cried, holding Jeanne's hand tight in his bigger, calloused one, feeling how those once soft hands were now ice in his own. He couldn't breathe. He remembered how she'd grab his hands and force them over hers, claiming she was cold, but he knew she just wanted him to hold her hands and kiss her and tell her how much he loved her. He let out a loud sob again, his lips quivering, his body trembling as he felt his knees buckle. He softly kissed her frozen lips as he held her hands, like he's done countless times before, and he stepped back, sliding her wedding ring off her finger and shoving it in one of his pockets.

"I'll find who did this, baby. I'll find him and I'll _tear him apart_." He growled as he moved away from Jeanne's body and shut the pod door.

Oh, he was going to give the bastard _hell_ the moment he sees him. He wasn't going to waste a second putting a bullet through that stupid brain of his. Even thinking of revenging Jeanne brought a whole new sense of bravery to him, rolling up his vault suit sleeves and marching out of the frozen vault. He headed down the hall, instead finding that the door he and the others had originally came through was locked. He patted around the door, trying to see if there was something he could unlock it with, but found nothing. Topside frowned then, turning his attention instead to the other door just beside it. He glanced behind him momentarily and headed for it, finding it automatically open. He jumped back, startled, then relaxed a bit and headed through the now open door, finding a whole other part of the vault he didn't expect to see.

During his travel, he found another room with different pods, and stepped foot inside. It was the same as the room he came from - everyone was dead. He felt a shiver go up his spine, not because of the fact that it was colder than a witch's tit, but because it was a plan. Vault-Tec planned this. They must have. It fit together too good, freezing everyone and killing them so they couldn't see that man come in and kill Jeanne and kidnap Shaun, so that they could come back for Topside if their little kidnapping plan failed. That...that this whole place went to hell. He snarled under his breath, heading further down the vault until he heard skittering across a window. He jolted so hard, his heart pounding, as he spun around to see a giant...cockroach? He scowled as he came up to the window, seeing that the bastard was on the other side (thankfully), and bumped into the make shift table unter the table, a police baton sliding off the Vault-Tec crate and clanging on the ground.

Topside scrambled to grab it before the roach could see him, but it was too late, because when he stood back up, baton tight in his fist, he saw that the roach was gone. Fuck. Topside moved to the door thuse beside the window, and his breath caught in his throat as he stepped close, opening it. It was just a different room - nothing like the one he saw through the window, except there was a cockroach skittering across the floor at him. With a panic, Topside slammed the baton against the roach, killing it instantly. He stared down at it, finally finding his words after this whole time.

"Giant roaches? What the hell?" He gasped, backing up as he heard more skittering just outside the room.

Topside took in a deep breath and went on to the next room, finding what looked like a cafeteria with a long bench and multiple cups littering the table. He headed over to the other door in the room, clutching tight to the baton as it opened. He clung to the plastic stick like his life depended on it - I mean, it kind of did, he couldn't just go hand-to-hand combat with a giant cockroach. In the room, two giant electric machines stood, shocking the ground around them. He crouched, slowly making his way along the walkway around the machines, hoping that he wouldn't get shocked. As he moved, he heard a loud zap, louder than he's heard in a long time, and he turned around to see that a roach had been struck, and was now fizzling on the floor. It smelled terrible. Topside held his breath as he moved along, trying his best to make sure he wouldn't get electrocuted. He saw the next set of doors and headed straight for them, at least until about two or three other roaches suddenly rose from their spot in front of the door and started running for him.

_Shit!_ Topside swung the baton down as hard as he could, hearing the one exploding under how hard he hit it. The other one he batted out of the air, like the baton was a bat and the roach was the ball. It struck one of the machines and exploded then, bits and pieces landing everywhere. The next room was, thankfully, and office, with a gun on the desk. He scooped up the gun and took the cases of ammo and loaded it. He turned the gun this way and that, analyzing it to see that it was a 10mm pistol. He put it in his belt, searching the rest of the desk. He found some stimpaks and pocketed them too, as well as some more ammo he couldn't load in his gun but definitely would be needed later. He saw a gated room and quickly headed over there, opening the door and finding more ammo and a locked box. 

Topside was quick to look at it, pulling at the case and finding he couldn't open it just yet. He needed to up his skill in lock picking. He studied the weapon inside, taking note that it was a freeze gun. He backed out of the small room - he needed to remember that for later, and went back to the desk. He went over to the door upon recognizing it, but found it could only be opened by a terminal. He snapped his fingers, taking a glance over his shoulder at the computer on the desk. He vaulted the desk and quickly turned the terminal on, pulling up the seat, about to sit down on it when he realized there was a skeleton on it. He scowled and used a foot to push the chair far away from him, disgusted. When the terminal turned on, he searched through it until he found what he was looking for - the security door access.

Another thing, too, that Topside found, were little notes about Vault-Tec, assuming it was from the employees that worked here. He read them with horror, before shutting the terminal off and screwing his eyes shut. No thank you. He didn't want to imagine those horrible things the Overseer and Vault-Tec did to these poor people...himself and his family included. He stuffed the baton into his belt, pulling out his 10mm and cocking it as he stepped through the now open door and headed down the dank hallway. It was dark and wet, with water dripping off the ceiling and puddling on the floor, making it harder to sneak as he crouched upon seeing more roaches.  
Taking aim, Topside took them down, one at a time, until he was positive it was safe to head down the hallway. He looted what he needed, finding a few caps stuck to the slimy undersides of a few of them, disgusted as he, too, pocketed the caps, of course after wiping them off. Topside was already sick of this vault, from the roaches, to the fact that his fucking wife was dead and his baby was gone. With renewed vigor, Topside marched out of the hall and into the same room from the day he stepped into this hellhole. The vault door was sealed shut, skeletons littering the floor. He shivered as he looked at each body, some of the bones still wearing their clothes, others...not. That scared him. 

Topside heard movement, seeing one of the skeletons up on the platform by the vault door moving, and he felt his heart stop. He scrambled for his gun, hoping desperately that the skeleton wasn't alive, and with all that hope, his wish came true as a roach came bolting towards him. Still startled, however, Topside let out a little yelp and fired a shot that missed at first, feeling the roach's teeth sink into his leg. Topside barked out in pain, bashing the butt of his weapon against the roach before shooting it in the head. The man heaved as he dropped to a knee, holding his bleeding leg, looking it over to make sure he wasn't about to get an infection or anything. After he was sure he was alright, Topside moved up to the platform, eager to leave this blasted place.  
His boot hit one of the skeletons' arm, knocking something hard over. He looked down at it, seeing it looked oddly familiar but also...not. He picked it up, shaking the radius and the ulna bones from the Pip-Boy and clipping it onto his own arm, hearing it turn on with that old-fashioned whir of an age old computer as it went over all its files. A small, cartoon man popped up on the screen after the Pip-Boy finished loading, and Topside recognized him from the cartoons that would usually be on on a Sunday morning. It was Vault Boy, oddly wearing the same suit that Top had on now. The cartoon man had a hand up, his thumb raised high in the air, the casual thumbs-up he'd give at the end of every cartoon. It was his signature pose.

Topside filtered through the different tabs on the Pip-Boy, the first being of Vault Boy, showing all the same stats as the man holding the machine. The same things he wrote down on the Rep's clipboard...his name, his S.P.E.C.I.A.L., it was oddly creepy. He looked up at the controls and shook his head, he was doing something, and he felt ashamed he got sidetracked, and plugged in the Pip-Boy. It opened a small case with a button, and Topside slammed his fist on it, setting off alarms as the big vault door beside him came to life and slowly opened. Topside unplugged his Pip-Boy and turned to the gates, watching the walkway extend to the staircase just outside the vault door, and up he went after it. The door was fully closed by the time he reached the stairs, the same ones he and others were crowded up on, the same ones that lead others to their doom. He took his time going down them - first coming in here could have been some sort of foreshadowing to the hellhole he'd walk into just outside those big doors that he just needed to take the elevator to.

Standing alone on the same platform that carried many felt like walking through a graveyard with ghosts. He kept his pistol tight in his hands as he could hear his heart thrum against his chest, echoing against these screeching walls. As he felt like the ride was taking absolutely ages, longer than it should have, the doors up above opened, and he was standing outside in seconds, his hand reached out, trying his best to shield his eyes from the sun that felt so much brighter than it should have. He rubbed his eyes, feeling the warmth of the outside hit him like a painful grasp, his cold body being melted under that unbearable heat of the sun. He dropped his hands after and let his eyes just adjust, turning around to see birds pecking at the ground, and in fact...nature was gone. There were barely any leaves clinging desperately to already dead or dying trees, some fallen over, others just barely standing.

The air was so thick, it still tasted like it did that day, when the dust was stirred from that massive, fire hot gust of wind that said goodbye as everyone was sent to their deaths. Topside shook his head, feeling his now drying hair lightly flop against his forehead - he had been so caught up in the death of his wife that he didn't realize that he was still pretty much ice. His suit was still frozen in spots, and was only now starting to defrost, along with his hair. Water dripped down his temple as he marched away from the elevator and down the same rocky slope that lead to the gates that guarded the vault. He saw so many skeletons, kicking a few out of his way as gently as he could so he didn't disturb any others.

He made his way down the path, walking over the bridge that now creaked under his weight. He guessed that before, when he was bolting over it, he never really wondered if it could hold his weight, so he was careful to bang his boot against each plank as he stepped across. It was just a small bridge, and he could jump across it if he wished, but he didn't think that he was stable enough to do just that. Topside headed to the now cracked pavement of the road, nearly tripping over one of the cracks as he walked down it towards his home. He thought he saw metal glint in the sun, and he squinted, seeing that he did, indeed, see metal, and he kicked into a run upon remembering Codsworth.

Once he saw that Codsworth was still up and running, Topside ran aster, until he was madly dashing across the road, missing the sidewalk completely and running across the yard up to the Mister Handy. The robot saw him and swung around, throwing out an accusing flamethrower, turning it on before Topside let out a loud yelp and tripped back over his feet and fell back on his butt. He stared up at Codsworth, throwing his hands up and waving them. Codsworth then seemed to realize who he had nearly set ablaze and let out his own yelp of surprise.

"Sir! You're back!" Codsworth couldn't be more happier, spinning his arms and offering a hand. Topside new that if he let the robot try to pull him up, they'd both end up on the ground, so Topside politely shooed the robot back and got to his feet.

"Hi Codsworth," Topside breathed, out of breath but still so glad to see his butler.

"Oh! Is mum with you?" Codsworth asked, two of his eyes glancing around behind Topside, only to freeze when the middle eye, which was trained on Top, saw the look on the man's face.

"She's...in a better place." He muttered, a hand rubbing at the crease of his elbow, biting at his lip.

"And Shaun? Surly the lad would fancy a game of chess, yes?" Codsworth lightly chuckled, only when he seized that too as Top's face screwed up.

"He's...someone...someone took him. Who would take a fucking baby?" Topside growled, reaching up and curling his hands in his dusty blonde hair.

"Oh...sir...I'm so sorry."

"Two...hundred years?"

"Well...more like two hundred and five. Guess that means you're two centuries late for dinner! You must be famished. Let me whip up a quick snack for you, yeah?"

Topside tilted his head, then looked down at the ground, toeing at the dirt. He looked back up at the robot, his brows pinched up. "Codsworth...what really happened?" He asked.

Immediately the robot's arms drooped, "oh, sir..it's been two hundred years! It's been so lonely! I've washed and cleaned everything for the first hundred years but the car! The car! How does one polish rust off a car!" He wailed, spinning his arms as Topside frowned.  
"It's alright, Codsworth." The man reassured the robot, offering a crack of a smile that quickly faded as soon as he was sure the robot saw. He didn't want to smile. He didn't feel like smiling.

"Let's check out the neighbourhood, yeah? Mum and little Shaun are sure to turn up." Codsworth didn't let Topside reply as he was quick to putter off and head off into a different house.

Topside bounded after him, pulling out his gun as he could hear Codsworth rigging his saw and he could hear what sounded like...a bug. He spun around the corner and peered inside to see two massive fly-looking things attacking Codsworth, who was fighting back just as viciously, and by the time Topside took aim, Codsworth had killed both. It was like this the next few houses they cleared out, and after finding nothing but bugs and debris, Topside holstered his pistol and leaned against their house. Codsworth came up to him after looking around a bit more, mumbling soft apologies as he floated less-than-quietly beside the pondering man.

"It's fine, Codsworth."

"There is...a town just outside, maybe you can look there, sir?" Codsworth asked, pointing down the road, "called Concord. There are people there, I've only been shot at a few times. Maybe you'd have more luck than me." He shrugged and turned back to the house to go inside.

"Hey Codsworth?" Topside called, stalling the bot. "Uh...thanks. For helping. I mean it." He looked back at the Mister Handy, seeing an eye turned towards him.

"You're welcome, sir. Now go, Shaun is out there."

"See ya, Codsworth."

"Bye bye, sir."


	3. Chapter Three

Topside was walking across the bridge when one of the planks gave out, sending half his body plunging under, his boots hitting the water underneath. He could hear the counter on his Pip-Boy signal he was in rads, and he figured it was probably from the water. His legs waved about, struggling to pull himself up onto the bridge when he heard the sounds of paws scrabbling across the wood fairly quickly. Topside spared a quick glance, seeing a German Shepherd come running towards him. Almost on instinct, Topside nearly let go of the bridge- he'd had dogs sent after him during the war, and knew very well how to get rid of them, but the problem wasn't the dog, it was the radiated water.

His counter continued to shriek at him as his feet kept kicking against the water, his arms clinging desperately to the wood that might end up giving out if he kept struggling. The dog's jaws were on his shoulder, but instead of piercing the skin, the grabbed a hold of his vault suit and tugged. Topside used his as an opportunity to continue to swing his legs, finally moving up onto the bridge and collapsing, sprawled on the rotting and falling apart wood as the dog that pretty much saved him sat beside him and wagged his tail. Topside looked up at the dog, who, in return, tilted his head, his floppy ears dropping to the side. The man let out a low chuckle and rubbed between the dog's ears, getting the dog's tongue out and his tail slapping the wood as a reaction.

"Got an owner, buddy?" Topside asked, slowly moving to steady himself on his hands and knees, watching the mutt with an amused expression. "Why don't you hang with me, hm? You did save my life after all." He chuckled then, reaching over and petting the dog again as he got to his feet.

During his walk, he thought over what to name his new companion as he tested every plank until he was on solid ground. "Y'know," he started, coming up to a man and a bare, hairless dog with a mutated and ugly face, "I had a dog once. Before the bombs dropped." He shrugged as he crouched, looting from the man and taking some meat from the mongrel so he could eat (or feed Dogmeat), "he ran away a few weeks after I got him. I felt really bad, but I guess he just wasn't used to people, y'know? We did name him Dogmeat, we couldn't figure out a name for him. He ran away and it just...was sad, losing a dog." He rubbed the back of his head as he stood, continuing his trek. Dogmeat hadn't mustered a noise, just obediently trotted at his new owner's side.

Coming up to the Red Rocket station just outside Sanctuary, Topside let out a little mused "huh" as he headed up to the door. He hadn't been here in a while, before finding out how humorous that realization was. Being frozen in a pod for over two hundred years was, indeed, a while. He opened the door, finding it slid open easily, and wandered in. He searched for things, finding some useful, some not, and moved on. There was a big station that looked like it wasn't used for a car, but something that stood vertical, in the garage. He wondered what it would be for as his fingers lightly ran over the red workbench that looked like it needed a good dusting. He wiped some of it off, then looked down at Dogmeat, seeing the dog sit down at the garage door's entry way, head tilted and tongue out. Topside just shrugged.

"What'cha think boy? Good enough to live in?" He just rolled his eyes at his own question and made his way over to the dog, telling him to scoot over so he could leave, "yeah, right. It's out in the open, anyone could attack." He huffed.

Dogmeat just whined in response and followed after the man, tail wagging as they followed the road up to a fork. There, a big body of a cow lay, and a big bug floated around it. Muttering a curse under his breath, Topside fumbled for his pistol as he crouched, while Dogmeat growled, obviously seeing the bug. Topside then got an idea and ordered Dogmeat to take down the bug, and watched as the shepherd bolted across the road to the cow and launched at the bug, grabbing it in his strong jaws and shaking it violently. Eventually, Dogmeat dropped its body and trotted back to Top, his tail wagging as the man praised him and gave his head scratches.

Top approached the cow, seeing it looked a lot different than what he was used to seeing cows. The body was pink, the udder absolutely massive, and not to mention the two heads that lay beside each other, tongues out. The creature let out a horrid smell, so Topside clogged his nose and headed into town. There were dips in the roads and bags of sand piled up in front of each one. It looked like a war zone. That's right. Topside could feel the creeping sense of fear as he trudged carefully through the streets, keeping an eye out for any well placed mines or traps he or Dogmeat might accidentally set off...Topside didn't have Jeanne to patch him up again.

_Stop thinking about her_ , the man told himself as his hands tightened around his pistol, his own ring glinting back a him in the light. He frowned, biting his lip as he held his gun up, looking around every corner. He saw a big banner stretching from one street to the other, realizing that it was an anniversary for America. He frowned as he looked down at Dogmeat, who seemed to not even give two shits about the stupid banner. Topside wished he could share his carelessness. As he made his way, he could hear gunshots firing a bit away, so immediately the man ducked behind one of the walls of sand bags, quickly trying to reload his gun. Dogmeat stood beside him, ears flat, tail low, watching the man's every move. Little did he know, one of the men firing had noticed him.

Topside worked quickly, until he saw the shadow of a man moments before he felt a knife plunge into his shoulder. Letting out a scream, Topside jolted forward, his pistol dropping on the ground as his hand reached for the knife. He continued to scream and cry, while Dogmeat leaped at the opposing man and grabbed his arm, dragging him to the ground and starting to shake. It was both Topside and the man that were now screaming, the war vet writhing on the ground from the knife, and the enemy from Dogmeat's strong jaws tearing into his skin. Topside finally took in a deep breath after hyperventilating and pulled the knife out, a stream of blood following suit. He sobbed as he grabbed his shoulder, then, catching sight of one of his stimpaks, he struggled to reach for it, feeling dizzy as he continued to bleed out.

Eventually, the hand that wasn't caked in blood curled around it, moving into the hand that was bloody, and he stabbed it into his shoulder. He cried out again and plunged it, almost immediately feeling better. He could feel his wound close under his bloodied hand, his skin shifting so it would be perfect and scar-less once again. Topside let out a small, relieved sigh and slumped back on the ground, watching Dogmeat tear the man who stabbed him a new one. Their little rodeo had gotten the attention of some of the other men, and Topside could see them slowly looming closer, while the man on the balcony above fired at them. Topside didn't feel safe, at all, and realized he should keep moving if he wanted to stay alive.

Grabbing his gun he had dropped, the man slowly rose to his feet, taking aim at the somehow still alive and very much in pain man, and shot him in the head. Dogmeat let go once he was sure the man was dead, and looked up at Topside with perked ears. The vault dweller nodded to the dog, signalling he did a good job, and headed closer to the big building. He fired at the men that shot at him, getting hit a few times himself, until they were all dead. Except the one on the balcony. As the man yelled out to him, Topside swerved around, his gun aimed and ready to fire, only to realize the man didn't want to hurt him at all, but wanted him to help.

"There are raiders inside, hurry, please! We can't hold them back much longer!"

Topside nodded, and, without a second thought, burst in through the doors of the church, stumbling over his feet as he had to skid to a stop - a shot whizzed past his ear and made him stop in his tracks. He looked up, seeing even more raiders, and by god why did he seem so shocked about it. He let out a low breath and moved side to side, grabbing his pistol and taking aim. Go figures, however, the raiders above didn't stay in his focus much longer, not until a bar came swinging and struck him in the stomach, making Topside topple and fold over, coughing and nearly throwing up. The force from the swing was pretty hard. He raised his gun then, shooting the guy who swung at him in the face, making his body stumble back before collapsing on the ground.

Dogmeat's barks were heard from somewhere in the building, and Topside took off like a bullet, tearing into rooms and knocking over a mannequin in his way. He collapsed on top of it, taking a moment to push himself up and look down to see that the thing he tackled was, indeed, not a man, but a plastic one. He felt heat rise to his cheeks from embarrassment as he realized he was straddling it, and pushed himself up and off. His flushed face quickly drained of colour when he saw that there were both a mixture of mannequins and raiders in the room, a few of the living men snickering and elbowing each other, throwing out nicknames to the even more flustered vault dweller. Letting out a groan, Topside raised his pistol and shot the nearest one in the gut, then a few more, before realizing he was out of ammo.

"Shit!" Topside cursed, putting his gun in his belt, ducking for one of the bodies.

He searched for some ammo for his pistol, his hands shaking as he felt the raider loom over him. Grabbing his police baton, Topside swung his arm out, ducking under a shot as it grazed across his hair. He felt it, which made him cringe, his eyes closing. He couldn't see when the baton made contact with the Raider's knees, sending her toppling onto her back. Topside got to his feet, snagging her gun from her hands, and turned it around and took fire at her. She was dead in moments after screaming off the top of her punctured lungs. Topside held onto her gun, it was as close as he could get to ammo for the moment, and took off running again, slightly limping from hitting his knee when he tossed himself to the floor.

Dogmeat's barking persisted, and that concerned Topside, even as he leaped up the steps two at a time - Dogmeat was no where to be seen. Suddenly a loud yelp made Topside halt in his tracks, letting his heart skip a beat from fear, his blood growing cold, before he bared his teeth and launched off the top step, his other foot slamming into the floor and nearly making the board collapse under his sudden weight. He tore down the hall, throwing a door open and slamming it against a raider that was too unfortunate to be standing there. He slammed it closed, took aim, and fired, shooting the raider and knocking her off her feet and onto the collapsed body beneath her. Topside grabbed her and shoved her aside, seeing Dogmeat, still alive but trying desperately to get to his feet to continue fighting for Topside. The man pulled out a stimpak, taking in a deep breath and plunging it into the dog. Dogmeat was on his feet in a moment, and in fact, on Topside in a moment too, leaping off his shoulder and taking down the raider that had decided to sneak up on the unsuspecting man.

Topside knew Dogmeat could handle the raider, hearing the man from earlier calling out to them. He took off down the hall, drifting as he came up to a small passageway that connected the two parallel walls together, finding another stairway just a bit away from where he was. He leaped over the railing, grabbing onto the other and pulling himself up and over, landing with a loud thud. As Topside ran up the stairs, Dogmeat ran up to his side, looking up at him with a bloody muzzle and a tongue flopped right out. With a praise, the vault dweller swung around the corner, the pipe rifle he stole off the woman from downstairs the first thing that poked around the corner, and soon, Topside's head. He fired at the raider that spotted him, taking him down as Dogmeat bolted out past the body, and instead to the room just a bit away. Topside let out a little yelp, scrambling after his dog and bursting into the room, gun tight in his hands.

What he found wasn't, at all, full of raiders, but a safe little alcove of settlers.

"Woah there," the man from before spoke, hands raised as if to calm the intruding man like a horse, "thanks for helping us out...I..assume that's what you were doing?"

Now that Topside had a proper look at him, he could see all the small freckles and tiny details that the hat-wearing man bore. He had a dusty hat with a wide brim, one side of it pinned up against the hat. He was wearing a dirty tan coat that went to the back of his knees, with a blue scarf with white decal wrapped around his neck and a dark brown vest with gold swirled over it hugging his frail body. He had a strap over his chest, a, what looked like, walkie-talkie on it, looking clean and brand new. Topsdie smiled a little- kind of somewhat reminded him of Jeanne. He shook his head of the thoughts, then offered the stranger his hand, showing to him that he means no harm. A gloved hand from the stranger slipped into his, a warm smile received.

"I'm Preston, and boy am I glad you came when you did. Without you I- we...wouldn't have lasted much longer. Thank you. I- I can't thank you enough." The stranger - Preston - let out a shaken breath of relief, his shoulders dropping as he took his hand back. "Those raiders were becoming too many. I wasn't sure I was gonna be able to keep fighting."

"Raiders?" Topside blurted, then bit his lip, pursing them after realizing that he said that a bit too rudely. "I- I'm sorry, I'm new here, I just... I didn't mean to be rude." He cleared his throat, looking at his feet as he shuffled them on the ground.

"No worries, friend! I figured, as you don't really have much dirt on you. Plus, the vault suit kinda screams it. You might want to change out of that if you don't want to make it seem like you had it all." Preston shrugged, adjusting the large gun in his hand.

"Thanks..."

"No problem- hey, quiet. I think I hear more raiders. You'll need to take them out, there's some Power Armour on the roof, talk to Sturges, he's that guy by the terminal there. He'll tell you everything you need to know."

"Hey- hey!" A different man caught Topside's attention then, distracting him from lowkey to highkey staring at Preston, making him turn to look at the one that called for him.

He was nicely built, a tan and ripped shirt under dirty overalls that clung desperately to his nicely shaped body, not to mention the big smirk the man held, his slicked back and curly hair, the stupid curl that hung over his forehead- Topside had to hold back from stupidly leaning on the desk and copying the smirk, replying with an even more stupid "hey", and instead squeaked out a little "hi!", which was ten times more embarrassing. He bit back any remark he wanted to say about himself, and instead shut his eyes and inhaled, praying that he didn't give into wanting this man that stood now, and quite, concerned, brows pinched as the vault dweller had to will away every thirst that dropped in. He had just lost his wife, for crying out loud. Topside pinched the bridge of his nose, opening his eyes and apologizing for his awkwardness.

"No problem, it's all alright. I get it," Sturges smirked, or by god Topside thought he did, and shrugged, standing up fully and looking over the other. "There's some Power Armour up on the roof, and h-o-l-e-e shit, is it a sweet set. Some pilot had unfortunately crashed through the roof, I'm sure you saw the vertibird just outside? There's a minigun up on that vertibird- get that suit, and you can rip it right off it's set! First, though-" Sturges put a hand up, grabbing the back of Topside's vault suit when the man turned, "you gotta get a power core. A suit can't run if there's no power core to run it. There's one in the basement, you'll either need to hack that terminal or pick the lock to get in that room. Get that core, get that suit, get that gun." At the end, Sturges let go and lightly shoved him, chuckling. "You'll find it, loverboy." He turned on that and shut the door behind him, making Topside gulp.

"Yeah. In the basement. Okay..." He sighed, and took set for getting that core.

The basement wasn't creepy- in fact, there wasn't even a door. Half the floor had caved in, so it was easy getting to the terminal and door that was the first thing that could bee seen. Topside looked over the terminal, finding he couldn't unlock it. He didn't know how to unlock a terminal, and got himself locked out anyway. He let out a frustrated grunt, turning to the door lock and dropping to his knees. He looked the lock over, finding he needed a bobby pin. He rose back to his feet, catching sight of a few on top of the terminal. He took them, humming satisfyingly to himself as he crouched again, and going ahead and opening the lock. He stepped back as the door swung open, rubbing his hands together after putting his successful bobby pin with the others, and looked around.

Finding some ammo for his pistol, Topside pocketed it, then turned to the massive generator that held his power core. He pulled it out, hearing the whirring stop and the light go out. Eventually, it was pitch black and completely silent in the basement, and he clung desperately to the core like his life depended on it. He didn't have Dogmeat, he was completely alone. Afraid to admit it, the man was petrified of the dark, so he bolted up the broken floor boards, slipping and hitting the ground harder than he thought, but surprisingly not breaking the wood beneath him. However, the core slipped from his hands and fell further into the basement, clunking against the ground. Topside whined and pushed himself up, looking down at his Pip-Boy, an idea smacking him in the head harder than the ground meeting his face. He rolled onto his back, sitting up as he played with the Pip-Boy for a moment, finding that, in fact, there was even a bright light he could use to see. Well, he found it the hard way. It stared back at him in the most blinding light to exist, making Topside cringe and immediately rub his eyes.

He used the Pip-Boy to look for the core, finding it and holding it with the hand of his arm his Pip-Boy hugged, and used the other to help him climb up the broken floor to steady ground. Immediately, Topside made his way back up the stairs to the little area he had been previously in. He knocked on the door, finding it open easily with just one tap of his knuckle. He rose a brow as he peeked in, finding everyone where he left them, and let out a low sigh of relief. He nodded to the group as he passed through, Preston and Sturges both greeting him, while the other three just stared. Come to think of it, they hadn't said a word the entire time. Topside swallowed sharply, seeing a bobblehead and picking it up. He tilted his head as he looked it over, then pocketed it. It looked a lot alike this "Vault Boy" that was on his Pip-Boy, and he let out a small huff as he exited through the other door, Dogmeat remaining in the room. _Fine by me_ , Topside thought, heading out.

The trek up the stairs felt a lot more tiring, and it was probably just because all that adrenaline from the fight before was wearing down, and he could feel every single move he made, even blinking, drain his energy. He knew he'd need to nap when he got back to Sanctuary, that's for sure. He pushed the door open to the roof, feeling the wind smack him full on, nearly knocking him over. He groaned and headed over to the big, metal suit that stood solidly in front of him, and Topside had to admit- it was a thing of beauty. He pushed the core into the back, then turned the wheel that the power core slid into the middle of, watching the whole back of the suit come apart to allow him inside. It was enticing yet scary, but he stepped inside anyway, feeling the metal pieces close back around him and shut him in tight.

A screen popped up in his vision, and he could see his health, his stamina - or AP, as his screen told him - how many power cores he had left, and what direction he was facing. It must have connected with his Pip-Boy, because when he wanted to check it, all that showed up was a screen of his Pip-Boy, allowing him to access anything he needed that he could with the device on his arm. Letting out a little "huh", Topside moved into the vertibird. It jostled under his weight, and he wondered if it was going to fully collapse into the building, so he moved quicker, his hands out and grabbing the minigun before he could even really see it. With a bit of wiggling, the gun came off just as Sturges said it would, and he moved up to the edge of the roof. There, he could hear Preston calling for him, so Topside peaked over and gave the man a thumbs up. Just as he did that, a shot fired out, hitting the metal of the suit and banging off it.

Topside looked down at the ground, seeing raiders staring to gather just outside the door, so he let it rip, the gun spinning before firing at the foes. The bullets sprayed out a lot faster than Topside thought they would, but he couldn't fight the little laugh that forced its way up through his lungs. After the raiders were smoked and fired out, there was loud, ominous banging from somewhere in the streets, and there, bursting out of the ground, was a giant creature that looked like it could tear apart someone in seconds. Well, Topside was right on that, because it snagged a raider that was running by and did just as he feared, the blood spraying all over its face. With a new sense of rage, the creature sniffed the air and bellowed loudly, then, on all fours, started running for the building.

Preston called out, firing at the creature, but it wasn't enough, the scales just made the lasers bounce off its rough hide. It leaped up, teeth grabbing a hold of the balcony railing and tearing it right off. Its chin pushed down on the balcony, making it start to crumble, and a hand reached out from the doors and pulled Preston into the building before he could fall with the balcony. Topside let out a sigh of relief as the man was saved, only for that sigh to choke as the creature looked up at him and leaped. The vault dweller stumbled back, just barely avoiding the snapping teeth of the creature as it just barely breached the roof. If it jumped any higher, or Topside hadn't have gotten out of the way, it could have grabbed his leg and tossed him down. He let out a low breath, peaking over the roof edge, and opened fire. The creature screamed, backing up into the building just across the one the man stood on, trying to block the bullets.

After what felt like absolute ages, the creature took off, bounding around the building it was pinned against, and tore off down the road. Topside shook in the suit, realizing that he'd have to leap down to go after it. He vaulted off the roof, landing with a rough thud, barely falling over as he regained his balance. He kept spinning his minigun, but not letting it fire, as he turned the corner, finding that that street was completely empty too. He turned and went around the other side, finding both streets empty. He couldn't hear the creature anymore, it must have run for good. Topside looked up, seeing Preston peering down at him.

"Come on inside, we need to get out of here. That...thing could come back at any moment and we'd all be dead."

"What was that thing?"

"...a deathclaw. Get a move on, we don't have all day."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I forgot to mention that Topside's son is named SAM, not SHAUN! I have changed the wife and son names because they just didn't sit with me right.


End file.
